November 30, 2009 (Leviticus 19-23)

For those that are Christians, God expects us to live differently than those around us. We are to live an "unnatural" life - to be "in the world" but not "of the world". To live for Him, and not ourselves. Am I living differently than those around me?

^{Leviticus 18:1} Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. ³ So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. ⁴ You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. ⁵ If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 20:7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God. ⁸ Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who makes you holy.

^{Leviticus 20:23} Do not live according to the customs of the people I am driving out before you. It is because they do these shameful things that I detest them. ²⁴ But I have promised you, ‘You will possess their land because I will give it to you as your possession—a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from all other people.

²⁶ You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.

November 29, 2009 (Leviticus 8-18)

At this rate, I'll be through Leviticus in another day or two. :) I had to keep reading until I found something "good"! But finally....as I read Leviticus 17:11-

"for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible."

God was showing them that blood sacrifices needed to be made in order to atone for their sins - and they were to offer these sacrifices day after day, year after year. But then, something better came - Jesus!

^{Hebrews 7:27-28} Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. ²⁸ The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

I think that is why Christmas is my favorite time of year. Not for the presents, or the beauty of the lights, or for the food, (for that requires exercise in order to not gain weight), but as a way to celebrate the "reason for the season". He has changed my life, and I'm grateful.

November 28, 2009 (Leviticus 1-7)

Well, now I'm in Leviticus - my least favorite book of the Bible. I know it all points to Christ and His substitutionary death for us, so that's good, but it is tedious and boring! (Sorry God...I'm sure it's because I don't understand all the symbology.) So, after I finished that reading, (because I really didn't get that much out of it) I flipped to the Psalms and opened to Psalm 104. What a wonderful Psalm about all the elements of His creative work. How everything and everyone are dependent upon Him. My favorite verses were 33 & 34 - "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May he be pleased by all these thoughts about Him, for I rejoice in the Lord." If you want to read it in it's entirety, I've copied it below. I use the New Living Translation.

(I just happened to think...I haven't told you what/how I am reading. I'm reading through the Bible chronologically. I am on my 3rd time reading it through this way, and I really enjoy doing it like this. For instance, when I'm reading in Samuel about David, my reading will then take me to the psalms he wrote while he was going through whatever he was going through, etc. I was challenged to do this a couple of years ago (not the chronological part, just reading it all the way through) after I heard our pastor had just finished his 50th time of reading through the whole Bible. I realized how "lame" I was about spending time in God's word and made it a point to read it through. I have to say, it's been revolutionary for me. If you want me to send you the chronological reading plan, I'd be glad to!)

Psalm 104 (New Living Translation)

Psalm 104

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord.

O Lord my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
² You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
³ you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
⁴ The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.

⁵ You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.
⁶ You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
⁷ At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
⁸ Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
⁹ Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
¹¹ They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
¹³ You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
¹⁴ You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
¹⁵ wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
¹⁸ High in the mountains live the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for the badgers.

¹⁹ You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
²⁰ You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
²¹ Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
²² At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
²³ Then people go off to their work,
where they labor until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
²⁶ See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, (Loch Ness sea monster perhaps?) which you made to play in the sea.

²⁷ They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
²⁸ When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
²⁹ But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
³⁰ When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
³² The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.

³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
³⁴ May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

November 27, 2009 (Exodus 33-40)

Some of my favorite verses were in today's reading. Here's the first:

Exodus 34:14 You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

The Bible I was reading said it this way: You must worship no other gods, but only The Lord, for He is a God who is passionate about His relationship with you.

I love the thought that God is passionate about His relationship with me. The Bible also says that He is the same; yesterday, today and forever. That is why I love this next verse as well:

Exodus 33:15 And the Lord replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend." Another awesome thought, that we can be friends with God.

Earlier in Exodus 33 Moses tells God, "If you don't go with us personally, don't let us move a step". Does God hear that from us, or do we go our merry way without consulting Him and asking for His guidance.

Then one final thought. As I was reading about God's plans for the tabernacle and all the intricate designs and construction for it, these verses reminded me that our gifts and abilities come from God, and His intent is that we use them for Him.

^{Exodus 35:31}The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. ³² He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. ³³ He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft. ³⁴ And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others. ³⁵ The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers. Exodus 36:1 “The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.”

November 26, 2009 (Exodus 22-32)

A Promise of the Lord’s Presence

^{Exodus 23:20} “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. ²¹ Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. ²² But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. ²³ For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. ²⁴ You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

²⁵ “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. ²⁶ There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

²⁷ “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. ²⁸ I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. ²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. ³⁰ I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.

³² “Make no treaties with them or their gods. ³³ They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

As I read this passage, I thought of America, and our founding fathers, and their great faith in God. I saw how God blessed this country because they chose to honor Him. And then I consider the changes in our country, beginning with the movement to take prayer out of the schools; the ruckus to take "in God we trust" off of our currency; the flap of removing "One nation, under God" from our Pledge of Allegiance. Does no one see the direct correlation between what is happening in our country and the removal of God? These blogs will not be a political ranting, but today's correlation could not be passed up. Also, we hear, "If I could only see God, then I would follow Him." Next I read the following:

^{Exodus 24:1} Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. ² Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”

³ Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”

⁹ Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. ¹⁰ There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.” ¹³ So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

¹⁴ Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”

¹⁵ Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. ¹⁶ And the glory of the Lordord¹⁷ To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. ¹⁸ Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

^{Exodus 31:18} When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.

^{Exodus 32:1} When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

² So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

³ All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Even though the leaders had seen God and heard His requirements, when left to themselves they quickly forgot and made up their own rules. This is another "encouragement" to daily spend time in God's word. Otherwise we "quickly forget" His requirements and live by our own rules.

November 25, 2009 (Exodus 16-21)

^{Exodus 16:2} There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

³ “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” ⁸ Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”

A good reminder that when we complain about something, we are complaining against God. Instead of complaining, we should pray.

^{Exodus 20:6} But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

^{Exodus 20:20} “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”